Hopalong Cassidy

You know what I remember most about Hopalong Cassidy?
Not his horse "Topper", even though I was a real horse nut when I was a
kid. Here goes - it was his hat! Remember that big, black hat?
Hoppy's hat was bigger and taller than any of the other cowboy's hats!

Background of the Show

So where did this old TV cowboy come from?

Long before
the TV show ever began in 1945, there was a 1935 movie written by
Clarence E. Mulford that was called "Hop-Along Cassidy". William Boyd
won the title role but the original crusty, rough-living, hard-drinking
cowpoke character was recreated as a non-smoking, non-drinking,
non-swearing hero. This fellow was really the inspiration for the
character that we all loved on TV.

The
new Hopalong Cassidy was a far cry from that gimpy-legged cowboy from
Mulford's early stories. He was a true Knight of the West! And he
looked the part, too, dressed all in black with that big black hat
covering most of his silver white hair.

All About the Show

Just like a Knight, he rode a big, beautiful white
horse (outfitted with black saddle and bridle), and together they were
quite a sight as they chased the villain to his doom every week! And,
as usual, Hoppy did all of that without getting his duds dirty or losing
that big hat!

The
Adventures of Hopalong Cassidy (who was played by William Boyd) was
shown on New York television as early as 1945, but the regular TV series
that we all remember began in 1949 and ended in 1951. Those were the
shows with the funny, bearded Gabby Hayes as his sidekick.

DID YOU KNOW?

Gabby Hayes was probably the most
famous sidekick in Western movies during the 1930's and 1940's, playing
opposite Randolph Scott, Roy Rogers, Wild Bill Elliott and, of course,
Hopalong Cassidy in more than 40 cowboy dramas.

In 1952 and 1953 William Boyd had a new sidekick (Edgar
Buchanan) and made a whole new series of original TV films. Those were
shown in syndication for many years.

What About the Actors?

WILLIAM BOYD (that was his real
name!) was born June 5, 1895 in Ohio, the son of a day laborer. After
his father died, William moved to California and worked various jobs
such as orange picker, auto salesman, surveyor, and as a film "extra"
which gave him his start in the movies in the 1920's.

Before
he became the cowboy star that we all loved, he had a reputation as a
"party animal" who drank way too much and really loved the ladies! But a
very odd mistake in 1931 changed his life. There was another actor
named William Boyd who was older than our (future) Hoppy. This older
William Boyd was arrested on a "morals" charge and, before the identity
was confirmed, newspapermen who assumed it was our William Boyd ran his
picture along with a story of the arrest. Because of his reputation,
they assumed it was the younger William Boyd. It ruined his reputation
as an actor and he drowned his sorrows by drinking even more. His career
went to pot because no one would hire him. After 3 years, he sobered
up and landed the role of Hopalong Cassidy! He quit drinking, smoking,
and partying and made a vow to help strengthen his "friends" (as he
called his young fans).

William Boyd was
smart enough to spend $350,000 to buy the rights to the character of
Hopalong, and the film series. He released these films to television in
1949 where they became extremely popular and began the long-running
genre of Westerns on TV. He also licensed merchandise like Hoppy
watches, cowboy outfits, dishes, etc. (as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry did)
and became quite wealthy. His high standards caused him to refuse to
license any product that he viewed as unsuitable or dangerous, and he
made no personal appearances at which his "friends" (fans) would be
charged admission.

He appeared as Hopalong
Cassidy on numerous national magazine covers, including "Look" in August
of 1950 and "Time" in November of 1950. William also has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted posthumously into the Western
Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage
Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1995.

He
was married 5 times (Laura Maynard, Ruth Miller, Elinor Fair, Dorothy
Sebastian, and Grace Bradley). He had only 1 son, with wife Elinor
Fair, who died at just 9 months of age.

William
Boyd died in Laguna Beach, California from complications of Parkinson's
disease and heart failure on September 12, 1972 at the age of 77,
survived by his fifth wife Grace Bradley Boyd.

GEORGE "GABBY" HAYES died of cardiovascular disease in Burbank, CA in 1969 at the age of 83. He was married, but had no children.

What is your favorite memory of Hopalong Cassidy?

So what do you remember most about Hoppy? Please share your memories with us!

Your story will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story.

TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph.

Memories of Hoppy Not rated yetI was about 10 years old and saw him at Midway Airport in Chicago in the early 1950's. I was too shy to go up to him but he graciously came to me and gave …

HOPALONG CASSIDY WAS MY FIRST LOVE Not rated yetHoppy was the grand marshal at a Memorial Day parade in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio when I was a child in the early 1950's.

Hopalong Cassidy Outfit Not rated yetI first saw Hopalong Cassidy movies on a small round TV when visiting relatives in the 40's. Then I got a girl's Hoppy outfit. I mainly remember the …

I'll never forget his laugh. Not rated yetBoyd's characterization of Hopalong Cassidy was a wonderful mix of bravado and humility. He could best any man with his guns or his fists, yet he would …

white horse, two colts and dark clothes Not rated yetDear fans,
Sorry, my english is not perfect, but i remember Hopalong Cassidy's
white horse, two colt revolvers and dark-blue clothes. For a long,long …

Telling us what to do Not rated yetAt the end of each show Hoppy would tell us the right thing to do, ie. brush our teeth, wash with plenty soap and water, help mom with the chores, go to …

Pocket Knife Not rated yetApprox 1949 or 1950, in Tucson AZ during a rodeo parade in downtown Tucson, Hoppy, on his horse, stopped in front of my Dad and me. He mentioned my red …

happy memories Not rated yetI saw Hopalong as a child for the first time on a television in a hardware store. The manger of that store allowed the local children to come and sit on …